Mike Pirrone Produce says a little rain will bring pumpkins along for Halloween
Henry DeBlouw lets out a stifled chuckle when he says, “I’m Henry the Fifth,” but his job as vice president of operations for Mike Pirrone Produce Inc. is a serious matter.
His father, Henry IV, is known by his nickname, Butch. The DeBlouws bought Mike Pirrone Produce this past winter from Joe Pirrone, whose father founded the Capac, MI-based operation in 1951.
Keenan Farms hires Beth Sequeira
Avenal, CA-based Keenan Farms Inc. announced the hiring of BETH SEQUEIRA to its sales and marketing team on July 24. In her new position at the company, Ms. Sequeira will work to expand domestic and export sales of Keenan pistachios.
Fresherized Foods Inc. introduces products in ‘Wholly Guacamole’ line
“We’ve got new products in our guacamole category,” said Tracey Altman, vice president of brand marketing for Fresherized Foods Inc. in Saginaw, TX, in an interview with The Produce News July 25. Fresherized is the manufacturer of “Wholly Guacamole, rated by Nielsen as the leading guacamole brand in the United States.
The new guacamole products are a home-style guacamole and a new Avocado Ranch-style snack pack.
Del Ray takes advantage of strong Calif. volume
As with the California avocado industry in general, Del Rey Avocado Co. Inc. in Fallbrook, CA, has a bigger crop of California avocados this year than last year, and as of late July, there was a good portion of that crop yet to go. “We are going to have a very big volume right into October,” said President Bob Lucy, July 26. “We are going to have a very big August and September, with very good quality fruit to carry us through the end of summer and into the fall.”
Growers attribute exceptionally strong grape movement to excellent quality
The first several weeks of the 2012 grape harvest in California's San Joaquin Valley went about as perfectly as one could wish in many regards, with excellent quality, exceptionally good movement and reasonable returns, according to growers and marketers.
The season was also running considerably earlier on most varieties than it had for the two previous years, but some growers feel that an extended stretch of hot weather that began around the first of August could delay some of the later varieties.
The preponderance of Stevco’s grape program comes from late August on
Stevco Inc., which is headquartered in Los Angeles and has branch offices in Nogales, AZ, and in Coachella and Bakersfield, CA, has California grapes over the course of a long season, starting in June with the Coachella deal and running through the San Joaquin Valley deal from early to late. But “the biggest part of Stevco’s program is the fall deal,” said Jared Lane, vice president of sales and marketing, in an interview with The Produce News Aug. 6.
New York Apple Sales expecting smaller crop but strong prices
Frank Tangredi, president of Northeast Apple Sales in Newburgh, NY, concurs with reports from across the country that this year’s national apple crop will be much shorter than normal.
“Here in the Hudson Valley, we have a decent crop,” Mr. Tangredi told The Produce News Aug. 9. “The Champlain, New York, area has a nice quality crop, but it’s not very big. If they get some rain before harvesting, the apples will size up nicely and they’ll have some nice quality to offer.”
Forrence Orchards will have sufficient crop this year
Peter Forrence, vice president of Forrence Orchards in Peru, NY, told The Produce News Aug. 10 that the company’s apple crop is sufficient this year.
“We just have to get the fruit off of the trees and assess them,” said Mr. Forrence. “We won’t know precisely what we will have to distribute until mid- to late September.”
Harvesting at Forrence Orchards typically starts Sept. 1, and once the company has packed some cases, it will be able to offer a clear determination of the condition of the apples.
Nature Fresh Farms joins Certified Greenhouse Farmers
With a shared commitment to protecting the integrity of the greenhouse-growing process, Nature Fresh Farms is joining Certified Greenhouse Farmers, representing the "best of the best" in quality, food safety and environmental performance.
Weather could affect Sweet Onion Trading Peruvian volume
Problematic weather in Peruvian onion growing regions may affect product volume for Sweet Onion Trading Co., headquartered in Melbourne, FL. “There have been some weather issues that could affect supplies a little later in the season,” President Barry Rogers said Aug. 10.
Although Mr. Rogers said it is hard to predict volume for the current season, he expects Sweet Onion Trading will move fewer Peruvian sweet onions. “We will only ship sweet onions that meet our quality standards,” he said.